Frequently Asked Questions

Want some answers? We'll tackle some FAQs about the young adult passage meditation community.

• "Who is this blog for?"     This blog is for anybody interested in passage meditation, whether your'e looking to learn about this spiritual practice or whether you're looking for inspiration and tips for your own passage meditation practice.
• "What is a 'YA' and why is it referenced here?"     Usually pronounced as the letters "Y-A" these initials have been adopted to describe the Young Adult community of passage meditators in their 20s and 30s. This blog was founded in 2014 as a platform to share passage meditation with YAs. Over time we found that the stores featured here were useful for readers of all ages, and that YAs were inspired by the practice o the broader community. In early 2016, we transitioned this blog to the Blue Mountain Blog which features posts from passage mediators of all ages, all over the world, but it's still hosted here at YAmeditation.org
• “This may seem basic, but what is passage meditation?”     Passage meditation, founded by Eknath Easwaran (1910-1999), is a form of meditation where you memorize and meditate on an inspirational passage. It’s a universal type of meditation, so it doesn’t ask for any change in beliefs and can be practiced within any faith tradition you have, or outside them all. See our meditation page for more details.
• "What makes this practice different?"     Although this practice is a universal type of meditation, the roots come from ancient spiritual traditions. This practice gives you the opportunity to use passages that have come from wisdom traditions through the ages. We think this is important because Easwaran says "you become what you meditate on." Many of us think this is really intriguing and authentic. One thing that makes this different from other forms of meditation is that it requires 30 minutes of meditation a day. This may seem daunting, but the benefits come directly from the effort involved. We've found there's nothing else you can do in 30 minutes that will improve every part of your daily life and relationships as passage meditation can.
• "What are the 'eight points' referenced in the blog?"     In addition to passage meditation, there are 7 other skills that make up the eight points. Each of these are complementary, simple, practical skills to help you get the most benefits out of your meditation throughout the day. See our meditation page for details.

• "Who is Easwaran?"     Eknath Easwaran (1910-1999) is the founder of passage meditation. He took to the spiritual life amidst a successful career in India as a professor of English literature, writer, and lecturer. After coming to the University of California, Berkeley, on the Fulbright exchange program, he started teaching meditation. He quickly recognized that that his contribution for young people to learn "education for living" was becoming more important than "education for degrees", and he established the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation (BMCM) in 1961. Easwaran held the doors open for all - "this is a come-as-you-are party" - and never changed his message. The BMCM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which continues to share his teachings with the world. 
• "Who manages this site?"    he BMCM blog team maintains the site and is here to answer your questions (submit one here if you like). We are all in our 20s and 30s living across North America, and have a range of "day" jobs in the fields of teaching, science, and non-profit work. In terms of our contributors, simply put they are passage meditators. They live in different countries around the world, and have widely varying careers, backgrounds, and interests. Some have been practicing passage meditation for over a decade, and some just started last month. Each of these contributors has found that passage meditation, and its supporting eight-point program, is helping them in their work, personal relationships, and everyday life, and they want to share their passion with others. 
• "Where does blog material come from?"     This blog posts once a week. Twice a month we'll share invited contributions from passage meditators on a topic related to their passage meditation practice. Twice a month we'll post content from Easwaran – providing an audio talk the first week of the month, and a reading excerpt the third week of the month.